Recently, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement regarding the death penalty. The increase in violent crimes, especially against women and children, has raised serious concerns among the population. The country's president, alarmed by the rise in violence, took control of the investigation into the murder of a 17-year-old girl from Karakol and instructed the relevant authorities to develop amendments to the legislation allowing for the death penalty for child rape and murder related to violence.
From October 13 to 28, 2025, a public discussion process was held regarding the draft laws of the Kyrgyz Republic: "On Amendments to the Constitution" and "On the Recognition of the Law on the Accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty as No Longer in Force." As a result, the majority of participants expressed their opposition to the reinstatement of the death penalty.
On December 2, 2025, President Sadyr Japarov submitted the draft constitutional law to the Constitutional Court for an official opinion.
On December 10, 2025, the Constitutional Court, based on a combination of constitutional and international norms, declared that the restoration of the death penalty through constitutional amendments does not comply with the current Constitution and is also unacceptable. As a result, the draft law will not be put to a referendum, and all actions to implement this initiative will be halted from the moment the court's decision comes into force.
Kyrgyzstan, as a rule of law state, intends to continue fulfilling its international obligations. At the same time, work will continue to improve national legislation aimed at tightening penalties for crimes against women and children.
